bonsai

One of a series of 100 hour "short" courses from the Garden Design Academy suitable for garden enthusiasts and all those dealing with plants on a professional level.

Through this practical and comprehensive course you can join the many who have learnt the ancient oriental art of bonsai.

Eight lessons cover the selection of plants suited to bonsa culturei. You will learn to understanding the history and classic shapes which form the basis of the art, techniques of planting, training, pruning, watering & feeding and ways of using bonsai both indoors and outdoors.

You will create several bonsai of your own during the course and receive constructive criticism from the Academy as we help you develop your own personal bonsai style and techniques.

This is an eight lesson course of approximately 100 hours study. Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the Academy, marked by the Academy's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments and if necessary, extra reading.

You will be working with Colin Elliott, award winning garden designer, horticulturist and ex-Royal Gardener at Windsor Castle.

Introduction

Propagation

Plants for Bonsai

Bonsai Styles and Techniques

Creating Bonsai

Bonsai Culture and Maintenance

Landscaping Principles for Bonsai

Special Assignment

What is Bonsai?

Bonsai is often used to describe dwarfed plants. However, in a historical context, bonsai was the name given to potted, styled trees created by Chinese and Japanese artists. Such trees are indeed dwarfed, but they are also trained to look like an aged miniature tree. The actual bonsai includes the pot and landscape created by the artist.

Types of plants suitable for Bonsai culture.

Bonsai involves growing plants in a confined situation. By confining root growth and regularly pruning the roots and top, the plant can be kept in a miniature form for hundreds of years (in some cases).

A bonsai should look like a miniature tree, with not only the trunk and branches scaled down, but also the leaves. As such it is preferable for bonsai to utilize smaller leafed plants. We try to achieve the following in the plants we use for bonsai:

ROOTS spreading densely and many branching in all directions.

TRUNK well tapered and very thick at the base.

BRANCHES thick, lower down and multi‑branched with thinner branches at the ends

LEAVES small, dense and vigorous.

TOP of the plant must look vigorous, healthy and vital, even if it is not growing with any real vigor.